Kings Earn Game One Victory 4-2 Over The Coyotes

The media will use “road warriors” and similar words to describe our dominance to date in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And why not? We have earned it, right? We have, but beyond our road record, I share a more macro sized foundation for my enthusiasm. We have gotten progressively better in each series and we still have not played our best. It’s riding the bell curve and still being on the left side. Peak? May the Hockey Gods bless us with its timing.

You saw the game, you saw what we did. The Coyotes had their moments, but we all but dominated for 60 minutes. Smith was giving up rebounds and, a few bounces here and there, and we would have been up 3-0 after the first and more in the second. Rebounds aside, Smith was the only reason we didn’t destroy Phoenix tonight.

Dustin Brown in full beast mode.

Anze Kopitar, a one man wrecking crew. The puck loves him and is drawn to him.

Mike Richards looks dangerous each time he is out there. Carter has a whole other gear he will find but he has terrific chemistry with Richards and Dustin Penner and it shows. Our third and fourth lines stole my heart. They would not relent. Their forechecking was all consuming. King is Kong. Big, strong, smart and soft hands.

Rob Scuderi was aggressive and skating hard. Willie Mitchell is a rock. Slava Voynov has ice in his veins. 22? Wow. Color me excited to see what this kid will become.

Every forward to every defenseman played a terrific team game. Doughty had a gaffe but give the Coyotes credit for a good shift. A center ice goal. Shit happens. Patrick Roy gave up a couple of those in his career. It was a rare mistake. Quick played well in the third, when he needed to and turned away 9 or 10 in the last frame. If I know Jonathan Quick, he knows he had an off game and he will come back strong in game two.

Most importantly, we won. The Kings earned this victory. Let’s earn the next and, with the Hockey Gods smiling upon us, many more.

The Surly & Scribe Podcast Show will be tomorrow night. We have the entire road trip experience to share and want you to live it with us.

….but the turnover was caused by Quick being out of his net. Had he just let Doughty get the puck, Drew would have had a different angle to the net and cut off the forecheck with the goal. Had Quick stayed in net even if Doughty looses the puck he is in position to deflect the centering pass or be in better position of the chip shot. No worries as it didn’t cost the game. Kings have to be aware of Smith’s ability to move the puck up ice quickly so no lazy line changes.

Thats what I was thinking. And Quick’s number one job is to be in front of the net to stop pucks and he was incredibly out of place for that shot.
Also I think they really screwed up the three stars of this game, Quick should not have been in the top three. my three stars:
1. Brown
2. Smith
3. King

And that’s the bottom line…we won. Not about points anymore so how we got the win doesn’t matter to me it’s that we did indeed Get the win that matters. If Quick was a brick wall all game then we lose in OT wouldn’t mean a GD thing to me.

King: NBC said it has been 30 years for a rookie to have 2 goals in a Playbook game. I presume 30 years for the Kings’ franchise.

Tippet: Confessed his team was sub-bar as Kings raised bar.

Stoll: He deserves some praise too for high energy output and overall annoyance on ice. He swiped Smith’s stick after crash landing in Smith’s lap. Kudos for cross check on Hanzel’s kidneys so Hanzel’s bladder leaked into his boot. Shanahan should give one game for criminal spearing hack job in Stoll’s calf.

Mitchell: Solid, mean, wicked shots, with ultra presence on the ice. How many dumb dogs stuck their legs and paws to block his shots. Many limped back to the net.

Having been a fan of this site..
Having been a kings fan since the mid 80’s
With all due respect…
Fuck Dutch and all that ride his nuts. That includes S&S. Don’t give credit for simple opposition.
Ok, Dutch has some brains…let’s not start sucking his dick like he’s some messiah cause he has a valid point. It’s hard to throw the first punch.. It’s easier to counter with the oh so clever counterpoint. Dutch you look so superior because you (supposedly) love the kings..yet you won’t pin the medal (credit) on quick (or anyone else in the spotlight) You’re much like our wives/girlfriends… Quick to quash our claims to fame..just to make a point.
“J.T. Dutch
on May 13, 2012 at 9:21 pm said:
… Having a different view of the team than you do does not = complimenting them in a back-handed manner.

The Kings have had a very good defensive team for four years running. It is their trademark. They’ve picked up the offense since the Carter trade, but defense is still their foundation and their goalie benefits from that defense, perhaps more so than any other goalie in the NHL.

I’ve called Jonathan Quick a top five goaltender. I think that’s being pretty damn nice to him. Sorry if you don’t agree with it or like it. I’ve watched and followed this team enough to form that view. I don’t really care if a bunch of other people, the vast majority of whom haven’t watched and followed this team as much, disagree with my view. That’s just the simple truth of it.”
Like, how self cock sucking yet condescending can you be? Like you’re the first guy to watcha kings (or hockey) game? Wait, cause smith, lundquivst, holtby, or any other fucking goalies haven’t benefitted from team defense? Broduer has made a hall of fame career from it. People call MB the greatest ever, when he faced 13-16 shots per game. Jesus man, go back into hiding. The last thing I want as a kings fan is you cock blocking the best goalie this franchise has had since any of us has been watching.
To quote A Few Good Men, “we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns (PADS). Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Dutch? Quick has a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom! You weep for (any other NHL goalie) and you curse the Quick. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom! You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Quick’s saves, while awesome, probably saved games. And his existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves goals! You don’t want the truth, because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want Quick in that goal! You need him in that net! We use words like “save percentage”, GAA”, “recovery”. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline! I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said “Thank you,” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suwe live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom! You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives! You don’t want the truth, because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall! You need me on that wall! We use words like “honor”, “code”, “loyalty”. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline! I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very game saving saves that quick has provided, and then questions the manner in which he provides it! I would rather you just said “Thank you,” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up the gear, and stand in ANY net. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to!
Just enjoy the ride and say thank you…

Indeed. I wouldn’t go as far as you in your critique of mr. Dutch, ’cause we all know he means well, but by that same token, a soft goal does not mean the guy ain’t deserving of overall praise and thanks. Look at the 3rd period. C’mon Dutch, you know better than that!

Dutch and I fuss with each other from time to time. I often tell him he’s fulla shit. But he never lays out an opinion he’s not willing to defend — defend HONESTLY — and he makes no bones about how proud he is of the Kings accomplishments this playoff season.

… Actually, I greatly respect anyone who’s been a Kings’ fan that long, and I say that with no irony whatsoever.

“Quick to quash our claims to fame..just to make a point.”

… Most everyone here makes their own points. That’s what sites like this are all about. I don’t see where I quash any claims to anything with relation to the Kings. I’ve never failed to credit the team for any of their wins, or the games they’ve lost despite outplaying the opposition (which happened quite a bit this season). I simply credit certain elements of the team more than most people do, and also credit other elements of the team less than most people do.

What I’ve noticed over the time I’ve watched the game is that goalies tend to receive far more credit for team victories than any other aspect of the team. I’ve found that in the vast majority of circumstances, goalies are only as good as their team. I’ve also found that most people tend to rate goalies with team statistics (wins, losses, GAA), which reinforces the “goalies are only as good as their team” mindset. I believe Quick is one of those goalies who looks better than he actually is and gets rated higher than he deserves to because of the team in front of him.

“Wait, cause smith, lundquivst, holtby, or any other fucking goalies haven’t benefitted from team defense?”

… I’m sure they do benefit from it. The question is – do they benefit from it as much as Jonathan Quick does? From my point of view, they don’t. The Kings have a better defensive team than Phoenix (one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL), or New York (good defensively, but not as good as the Kings), or Washington (about middle of the road defensively).

“Broduer has made a hall of fame career from it. People call MB the greatest ever, when he faced 13-16 shots per game.”

… I’m pretty sure I’ve posted on this site (or elsewhere) that, in my opinion, Brodeur is the most overrated goaltender in modern history. Which isn’t to say he wasn’t very good – he WAS very good. But Brodeur, like you said, benefitted from team defense more than his peers did. Quick’s in that same boat. He’s been a very good goalie this season, and I’ve acknowledged that. Does that mean Quick’s the best goalie in the league, or the MVP of the league (or even the MVP of the team)? Not to me, it doesn’t; and I think people place Quick on that perch and overrate him because they don’t take the team context into account enough (or don’t take it into account at all). Instead, they’ve looked at the number of goals the Kings scored this season, which has not one bit to do with goalie performance – unless you’re willing to say that some goalies “play to the score” or “don’t try as hard when they don’t need to”, and I don’t subscribe to that belief, at all. I don’t believe any goalie (or any player) made it all the way to the NHL by playing to the score and not trying as hard during certain parts of the game.

Goalies seem to get overrated, as far as I can tell, because they’re out there for the entire game. But the fact of the matter is that goalies are only able to help with one aspect of the team – preventing goals. They have literally nothing to do with the team’s offense, unless they’re exceptionally good puckhandlers, and Quick is certainly not one of those. Meanwhile, the skaters, the guys like Brown and Kopitar and Doughty and Mitchell, are asked to play both ends of the ice. Some guys are better on defense than on offense, or vice versa, but they’re all asked to be part of the five-man unit and contribute to a certain degree on both.

“To quote A Few Good Men”

… I think you had a really good and entertaining idea with this, but it got a bit lost with the copy and paste.

However, he’s right about one thing: Quick is better than your estimation of him. Yes, he plays behind an exceptional defensive team. Yes, like ALL goalies, if he can see the puck he’ll likely stop it, and the Kings are better than most teams at making sure he can see the puck. Yes, he’s no puck handler (and that’s putting it mildly). And yes, that Morris goal gave me the same sort of willies Chicago fans got every time a long shot was fired at Tony Esposito.

But his short NHL career has been a steady tale of growth and improvement. To his formidable athletic ability and Plastic-Man limberness he’s added a solid positional game. If he can’t play with the puck — and I think he’s aware of his deficiencies here — he mitigates the problem by smothering it and stopping play. He really does NOT let bad goals throw him off his game, and his emotional engine is right where it should be.

He’s been too good too many times this season to argue that he’s overrated. Naturally, you can point out fuck-ups — last night’s was an awful one — but no goaltender is perfect. And his percentage of stiff- to limp-dicked play is very high, indeed.

… Well, for one, I’ll take ownership with the all-caps post I made last night. It was in the heat of the moment and I might have had a few beers (or more than a few) leading up to it, but I believe it fits the general premise of what I’ve said all season long. In my view, Quick was to blame for both goals allowed – the first because he fell asleep on duty, and the second came as a result of his poor puckhandling. Yes, he made some good saves in the third period. But, isn’t every goalie expected to make good saves at some point during a given game? Of course they are.

I don’t mind agreeing to disagree here. I have strong reasons to believe the way I do about this, TJ. It’s not personal.

You’re foucsing on the wrong parts of Quick’s game. The reason he is a dominate goaltender in this league is because of his intangibles, which he has put together this year for the first time. He is one of the most athletic, structured and aggressive goaltenders in the league and the thing that was holding him back was consistency. Because he gave up two bad goals, probably because he hasn’t played in 7 days, does not mean all he has done this year was due to soley the team in front of him.

The saves in the 3rd he was making was what we have been seeing consistently from him this year, and that is why he is the best goaltender in the league right now. Like I said you are focusing on the wrong areas and it seems you’re searching for ways to discredit what Quick has done all year and for that matter Broduer.

Final point, no sport is more of a TEAM sport than hockey is, and no goalie is going to be successful if the guys in front of him aren’t doing their jobs and vise versa.

“Like I said you are focusing on the wrong areas and it seems you’re searching for ways to discredit what Quick has done all year and for that matter Broduer.”

… I don’t see how I am discrediting what Quick (or Brodeur) has done by saying Quick has had a very good top-five season and by saying Brodeur had a very good career.

My only response to you would be that people seem to be searching for ways to put Quick on a higher pedestal than he deserves. He’s being called already the “best goalie in Kings’ history” which is pretty much a ridiculous notion seeing as how Vachon and Hrudey had more than one good season for the Kings in their respective careers. If you want to say that Quick has had the best SEASON by a Kings’ goalie, OK – that’s far closer to the truth.

The Kings won last night in spite of their goaltending. Quick didn’t play an average game, he played a poor game. The Kings allowed just 23 shots, and the vast majority of them weren’t dangerous at all. As has been the case in quite a few of these playoff games, Quick had the easiest job in the building. He only received credit for the win because the Kings dominated the game.

This is what you aren’t understanding…Quick was not on top of his game but he fought his way through a couple of errors and came up big when he needed to. Again, its a team game and they won as a team, not spite anyone.

“Quick had the easiest job in the building”

Now you just convinced me that you are talking out of your ass!!! Are you fucking serious?!
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and for you claim anyone player, “has the easiest job…”

Quick, may not be the best goalie in Kings history, yet, but he is certianly on his way. If this team wins the whole thing, well then, I bet you think differently. (and no I did not just jinx anything…nothing I say or do has any affect on the Kings success)

… It’s always a team game when the goalie has a poor game, isn’t it? But when the goalie has a good game, the talk is “Oh (insert goalie’s name here) stole that one!” as if the rest of the team didn’t exist. It’s pretty convenient to have it both ways.

“Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and for you claim anyone player, “has the easiest job…””

… Quick’s team dominated the game, they spent the vast majority of the game in Phoenix’s zone, and they kept the other goalie under siege. Who had an easier job than Quick’s last night? You tell me.

The team game comment is really a relative thing though isn’t it? I mean, for skater stats (G, A, +/-) those are also mostly a product of the team…yet, players get the accolades or critiques based on them. Especially +/- which can have so little to do with the individual. And goalies get it both ways. You’re the hero or the goat always. To me, save percentage is a pretty fair stat for a goalie..it’s not always telling of the kind of shots they face, but it is as close as you’ll get.

For skaters, you get your first shift, you skate and get a sweat going, bang a couple bodies, and get into the game. Most mistakes that skaters make go unnoticed (especially if a goal isn’t scored). And if you fuck up, you go to the bench, compose yourself and go out to redeem yourself on the next shift. For goalies, you have to be focused and ready to go from the drop of the puck through till the final buzzer. Most mistakes that goalies make end up in the net…the ones that don’t get noticed. And if you fuck up, there is no where to go. You have to compose yourself and reset before the next puck drop. By it’s nature, it is the most highly scrutinized position. That is a lot to handle mentally.

I’ve always played net, so I guess i focus on the position. My first favorite Kings goalie was Rob Stauber. I have watched and cheered for every Kings goalie (sans Choke-manic and Cloutier) since I started really watching in about 86. Through the years I patiently waited for the Kings to draft and develop an elite goalie. I hated watching other teams do it and we never could find “the guy”. Sure guys like Hrudey, Vachon, Potvin, and others played at a high level here, but we didn’t find and create them. I think that is why there is a lot of support for Quick. We found him, nurtured him, and he is excelling. He is our big star of the moment. For the first time that I can remember, the Kings have a strong, durable goalie that is getting national recognition.

talk about overrated gets me to Avs-era drunk irishman Paddy Roy, posting his strongest stats as a function of team defense. which is the thing for that goalie: big, position, butterfly and glove goalies. being a small baltic goalie cf. King Arturs, i hate those goalies. but they are the best at backstopping good team defense, because they’re predictable. push guys to spots, give them particular lanes to shoot in, knowing that your big lunk has total net coverage on that angle.

Quick is remarkable for the fact that he is a kung fu aggro goalie on a strong defensive team. it would be very interesting to see how he’d do on a quick releasing, rush-oriented team looking to win 5-4. it would be interesting to see such a team in the NHL too. anyhow dude is all about splitsed-out butterfly sliding above the crease like he was constantly facing down 3-on-1s, yet still clocks the big man blocking % numbers. that represents being in the kung fu, breakdancing on ice ZONE. obvious comparable is last year’s Timmy Thomas, also spazztastic though different moves, for different hips. ’cause who the funk can be splitsed out torso upright and still somehow rolling the ankle in enough to get edge to slide like a floor buffer. Quick is who.

all this being said i’m still annoyed with underutilization of Bernier, believing that he may well produce the same results with less effort specifically because the Kings have the defense that we do. good way to cool off the Quickster’s impending salary whammy. just to do some out of place speculating. fucking playoffs right now bitches, what is this “work,” game so soon, step on throats and spear the ovaries. fuck em.

Hi guys. Just one comment wrt Tuan’s points. I absolutely have to agree with his points about Quick’s capacity for giving up a very bad goal as he did last night, and then having the wherewithall to put it very quickly behind him and not let it affect him. Also, Hitchcock had very high praise indeed for Quick and was extremely impressed with him.

I half agree with you. Last season Quick was sharp but he also got a lot of bounces (IMO) and solid OT wins…an individual thing. This year I’ve felt his saving grace has been the Kings jamming the front of the net to a point where opponents can’t get an angle to lift pucks…a team effort.

And, the way the game is currently played most goalies have the team in front covering the net (I agree with Tortorella, bring back the 2 line pass).

Emrick: Ouch! Doan had Kopitar against the boards and the ref caught him in a pelvic thrust. Looks like he’s going off for ass-fucking . . . Uh-oh . . .
Engblom: Yeah. You can see it from here. He drew blood.
Emrick: It’s dribbling down Kopitar’s pants. They’re already signaling four minutes.
Engblom: A tough call. But the rules make each player responsible for his own dick.
Emrick: That’s a nasty one. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shanahan takes a look at this.

Man,I got carried away and it’s hard to be perfect from a phone with a few drinks. But, I will not backtrack. Dutch lives to make the “I’m so different and therefore intellectual” insightful comment. We’re all so happy to tell him how smart he is. This is the best since 93. Quick is better than Hruedy or any goalie in kings history (and I’m a potvin fan). Just be there with us…

Looks like the yotes are taking a lot of liberties on us. A lot of cheap shit at the whistles when they can get away with it. Cross checks to the head and neck around the net when the players are piled up. Real dirty kind of stuff they can’t retaliate on or they’ll get called. Doans trip with the foot on Richards was fucking dirty. Watch Doan’s skate kick out richard’s. We should be giving it back to them but at the right time. Stoll got away with a cross check during play but we’ve got give it back when they are around our net.

The stuff with the goalies I don’t like. It’s dangerous. Quick got run into, shoulder on head, lucky he didn’t get a concussion.

I never pinned them as dirty. But they have actually gone beyond dirty, I tweeted that they look like the Canucks out there. They were diving all over the place. The immediate example that comes to mind is the Hanzel play where he went down really easy, got up looking for a call (obvious sign of a dive) and then slashed a King player out of frustration. I hate watching hockey like that but I think it comes out of Glendale’s (Phoenix’) frustration that they haven’t seen much adversity this postseason. We’ll see if it persists.

It’s already past some our bed times (not mine, but you know) … so where is it?! I was hoping to have it by now, because as soon as the wife gets home, I won’t be able to listen to it until tomorrow! ;D

Dutch and S@S, I apologize for “going off” last night. Celebrating, drinking, and let some self contol get away from me. However, my intent was not misplaced, just highly overdone. Quick is fantastic. He does benefit from our team defense, but so does every successful goaltender. His accolades are well deserved and we have suffered long enough (with mediocre goalies) that our joy in watching this kid is also well deserved. Go Kings!

The level of emotion needed to sustain a rant like that, for the amount of time it took to type, is the true indication of just how badly you needed to vent. So, you vented. You vented in the most direct manner possible to reach the object and cause of the emotion.

My only, however small, question as to your judgment is the fact that you thought you should apologize for it. But, I am generous and forgiving in that way, so if you got it all out, fine; but, if not, I look forward to the next post just like that one, even if it ends up being directed at myself, or anyone else.

Thanks guys. The apology was needed. I am a big fan of this site and it’s fans/contributers. I read posts for about 6-8 months before I tried one of my own. During that time I got a feel for the regulars. There are a lot of passionate and insightful thoughts expressed here. I think the differing opinions are fantastic; however, I don’t like when people get told off for theirs. That being said, I was slightly more harsh than I would’ve liked (with the assistance of Bacardi).
Notice i said slightly… wouldn’t want you guys thinking I’m soft!!

… Last I’ve heard is that he seems to be improving. I don’t think he’s going to play, simply for the fact that Sutter probably doesn’t (and shouldn’t) fix what isn’t broken here. The Kings have evidently found the mix they need to have, and sadly Kyle doesn’t seem to be a part of it.

He’s completely fine, recovered, whatever. Takes full contact pracfices, skates with the “5th line” of Loktionov, Westgarth and Clifford. With the way the Kings are playing, a lineup change would be like benching a goalie during a 3-games-plus shutout streak. We all know that would never happen, so you might as well call the 5th line the “Lost Squadron”, Captained by Lieutenant Davis “where are they now” Drewiske.

You have to wonder the justice of it all with Cansuck Bitz gets one day off and goes on with his daily routines, while Cliffey winds up missing all of the excitement and experience and desire to contribute to the team.

For those interested in some great HD photos for your Kings’ album:

Here is the game winner by Brownie on its way in:

Brownie: Ultra super tight checking that exhibits intense desire to foil any and all dogs on the ice:

So Gagne got cleared for contact, but where would he fit next season? On the same line as Carter and Rick? Or should Kong be on the 2nd line assuming Penner isn’t coming back? It’s nice having a big body on that line